Bean

There’s no stock in this wintry vegetarian stew recipe—it relies on the starchy bean cooking liquid for its flavor (which is a polite way of saying sorry, but you can’t use canned beans here and get the same results).

You can make your own fried shallots or onions, but French’s are astonishingly delicious and practically define this green bean casserole recipe (and you can find them at pretty much any grocery store).

If you’re not following our weekly meal plan and not making the Grilled Cheese (though you really should; it’s delightful), which you need wheat bread for, use country loaf or sourdough bread, crusts removed, for optimal breadcrumbs for this chicken stew recipe. Check out step-by-step photos here.

This bean recipe is purposely brothy; if you have leftovers, reheat and smash them—they're great on toast with an egg. Also, if you have any leftover meat, throw it in during the last few minutes of cooking for an even heartier flavor, just as we did.

Senior food editor Rick Martinez’s father contributed this recipe, which calls for both salt pork and bacon drippings. Yes, you can use lard, but now you have an excuse to eat more bacon. Be mindful of oversalting; both the salt pork and the bacon fat contain quite a bit, and there’s no coming back if you overdo it.

Veggie burgers are not easy to make awesome, but we think this one nails it. We solved the “mush” factor by folding in bouncy mushrooms and pleasantly firm black beans, threw a hard sear on it for crisp texture on the outside, and seasoned it aggressively to combat any blandness. There’s no imitation protein or weird ingredients, just a rich, moist mixture of vegetables, grains, and nuts that work with any toppings you want to throw at it. It may not be vegan, but it’s pretty darn good. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.